1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a display method for a high-gradation displaying operation in an electro-optical display device constructed by plural picture elements which are arranged in a matrix form and have driving switch elements, such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, a vacuum microelectronics display and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
The recent miniaturization of various office automation equipments has caused a conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) to be replaced by a thin-type display (flat panel display) such as a plasma display, a liquid crystal display and the like. In addition, there has been also researched a vacuum microelectronics display in which micro vacuum tubes each comprising a field emission cathode and a grid are arranged in a matrix array and an image is displayed by irradiating an electron beam emitted from the matrix array onto fluorescent material. In all the display devices as described above, an image display operation is performed by controlling a voltage to be applied to intersections Of the matrix array.
That is, a transmitted-light amount or a scattered-light amount is varied by an electric field in a display of liquid. crystal material, an electric discharge is induced between electrodes by an electric field in a plasma display, and electrons are emitted from a cathode by field emission effect in a vacuum microelectronics display.
The simplest one of these matrix types is a display including a pair of substrates which are confronted to each other, and striped wirings which are arranged longitudinally and laterally on the respective substrates, a voltage being generated in a gap between any intersected longitudinal and lateral wirings by applying a voltage therebetween. This type is called as a simple matrix-structure. This type of display can be produced easily and at low cost because of its simple structure. However, in this type of display, there has been frequently occurs a phenomena called as crosstalk in which an image is blurred due to unintentional signal flow into undesired parts in a driving operation of the display. In order to avoid the crosstalk, material whose optical characteristic varies sharply with a voltage above a predetermined threshold voltage is required. For example, a plasma electric discharge display is a favorable display for such a simple-matrix system because it has a distinct threshold value as described above.
When such an optical material as described above is used, however, the display must be driven such that a voltage for each picture element (that is, a crossing between matrix wirings) is extremely near to the threshold voltage. Therefore, when the simple matrix system is adopted, an optical ON/OFF-switching operation can be carried out, but it is difficult to obtain an intermediate brightness or color tone because material which can. vary its brightness in an intermediate variable range in accordance with an applied voltage can not be used as an optical material for the display.
This problem is caused by placing the switching function on an optical material (liquid crystal or electric discharge gas). Therefore, an attempt of installing a switching element to the matrix independently of the optical material was tried. This type of device is called as an active matrix display and has one or more switching elements at each picture element. A PIN diode, an MIM diode or a thin film transistor or the like is used as a switching element.
However, even though an active matrix system is adopted, it is difficult to achieve a display operation with high gradation as realized in CRT.
FIG. 1(A) shows a conventional gradation display system. In FIG. 1(A), the ordinate represents the amplitude of a voltage applied to a specified picture element and the abscissa represents a time, and this figure represents the variation of the voltage applied to a picture element of a liquid crystal display. The voltage is applied in the form of an alternative current pulse because the liquid crystal would be deteriorated due to its electrolysis if it is applied with a direct current for a long time.
In this figure, the voltage is applied so as to display brightness of xe2x80x9c8xe2x80x9d in first two periods, xe2x80x9c4xe2x80x9d in next one period and xe2x80x9c6xe2x80x9d in last one period. Actually, the liquid crystal material varies in its optical characteristic sharply at a particular threshold value, but it is assumed here that the optical characteristic varies linearly in accordance with the applied voltage. This approximation is a very close approximation for the liquid crystal material such as dispersion type liquid crystal material for example. Thus, in order to achieve the display operation with 16-step gradation for example, it is required to control a voltage at 16 steps and then apply it to a picture element.
In a usual liquid crystal material, its optical characteristic is saturated when applied with a voltage over 5 volts, and hardly varies even if a voltage above 5 volts is applied. In order to implement 16-step gradation displaying operation for example, a voltage must be applied with precision of 300 mV which is obtained by dividing 5 volts by 16. It is reasonable that the implementation of a higher-gradation display operation requires a more minute voltage to be applied to the picture element. However, it is not easy to generate a voltage with a resolution of 300 mV or less, and such a minute voltage is attenuated by various factors until it reaches the picture element. These factors contain resistance of wirings, resistance of thin film transistors, reduction of potential of a picture element due to a parasitic capacitance of the thin film transistors and the like. Since these parameters causing the voltage variation or fluctuation are different in accordance with an active element of each picture element, the fluctuation of the voltage of the picture element can be actually suppressed in a range of plus and minus 0.2 V at maximum over the whole panel.
On the other hand, there is another method of implementing a gradation displaying operation by controlling a time length (retention time) of a voltage pulse to be applied to each picture element. For example, display methods as disclosed in Japanese patent application Nos. 3-169305, 3-169306, 3-169307, 3-169307, 3-209869, etc. which have been invented by the same inventors as this application are cited as examples of the above method. FIG. 1(B) shows this example. First two periods are used for brightness of xe2x80x9c8xe2x80x9d, next one period is used for brightness of xe2x80x9c4xe2x80x9d and last one period is used for brightness of xe2x80x9c6xe2x80x9d, as well as the method of FIG. 1(A).
It is known that the liquid crystal material visually functions to display color tone and brightness in accordance with, not an instantaneous voltage, but an average effective voltage. Namely, assuming an effective voltage of first two periods as 1, the next one period is considered as 0.5 though it has the same peak voltage as that of the first two periods, and the last period is considered as 0.75.
Further, a response speed of the plasma electric discharge is a high speed of 1 micro second, but a human naked eye cannot follow such a high speed, and can sense only an average brightness, so that a visual brightness is finally determined by an average effective voltage.
That is, the gradation displaying system as described above requires the switching speed to be remarkably increased particularly in order to implement a high-gradation displaying operation.
FIG. 2 shows a special case of FIG. 1(B), and an example of FIG. 2 can achieve 64-step (64-level) gradation displaying operation. Numbers at the left side represent degree of brightness of picture elements. In this example, the optical characteristic varies from xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c54xe2x80x9d in this order. In FIG. 2, (A) and (B) are not different essentially, and only the order of plural pulses is altered therebetween. The details of this example are described in Japanese patent application No. 3-209869 which has been invented by the same inventors as this application and thus the description thereof is eliminated.
For example, in a part marked as xe2x80x9c17xe2x80x9d, a pulse whose length is 1 and a pulse whose length is 16 appear once in a period of s respectively, and it represents an average brightness of xe2x80x9c17xe2x80x9d. Further, in a part marked xe2x80x9c37xe2x80x9d, a pulse whose length is 1 ,a pulse whose length is 4 and a pulse whose length is 32 appear once in a period of s, and it represents an average brightness of xe2x80x9c37xe2x80x9d. By this way, 64-step gradation display from xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c64xe2x80x9d can be achieved.
It is apparent from FIG. 2 that the minimum pulse length is required to be one 64th of a voltage repetitive period of s. In a case where a switching operation is actually carried out using a thin film transistor or the like, a pulse whose width is shortened in accordance with the number of lines of matrix is applied to the thin film transistor. For example, when the matrix has 480 lines, a pulse whose width is one 480th of the minimum pulse length is applied to the thin film transistor. Since s is usually 30 msec, the minimum pulse width becomes 500 micro sec. Thus, 1 micro sec is required for a driving signal for the thin film transistor or the like. This value may be considered as a large value, but it is very rapid signal for the thin film transistor. Therefore, in order to achieve higher gradation displaying operation, more rapid pulses must be applied, and by this, electromagnetic wave is radiated from the display.
This invention has been implemented to solve the problems described above in a conventional gradation displaying system, and is a new type of gradation displaying system which adopts advantages of both of a gradation displaying system which is completely dependent on a voltage as shown in FIG. 1(A) and a gradation displaying system which is completely dependent on a pulse width as shown in FIG. 1(B). In addition, in this system, both of the remarkably minute voltage control and the remarkably short-speed pulse as pointed out above are not required.
A method of driving an electro-optical device of an active matrix structure in accordance with the present invention comprises applying a voltage comprising pulses of a plurality of pulse heights and a plurality of pulse widths to a pixel of the electro-optical device.
In order to distinguish this invention from the conventional system clearly, an embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 1 (C). First two periods are used for brightness of xe2x80x9c8xe2x80x9d, next one period is used for brightness of xe2x80x9c4xe2x80x9d and last one period is used for brightness of xe2x80x9c6xe2x80x9d, like the systems as shown in FIG. 1(A) and FIG. 1(B).
In this invention, the gradation displaying operation is also achieved by utilizing an average effective voltage as well as the system as shown in FIG. 2, however, in this invention, a degree of freedom is increased by varying not only a pulse width, but also a pulse height to solve the above problems.
First, in FIG. 1(C), first two periods are the same as others, and assuming a voltage at these periods as 1 volt, of course, an average effective voltage of the first two periods becomes 1. An average effective voltage at a next one period is 0.5 because in the next one period a pulse height is a half of that at the first two periods. In a last one period, complicated pulses are combined. However, a pulse having pulse height of 1 first appears, and subsequently a pulse having pulse height of 0.5 appears. Since these two pulses are retentive for the same time, an average effective voltage becomes 0.75. As described above, by controlling not only the pulse width but also the pulse height, a load imposed on pulse length (high-speed pulsation) can be reduced by the pulse height.
In FIG. 2, the 64-step (64-level) gradation displaying operation is achieved by combination of total 6 pulses whose width is 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32. On the other hand, in this invention, the pulse height is sectioned into five steps (levels) of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, and only four pulses having pulse width of 1, 2, 4 and 8 are used to implement the 61-step gradation displaying operation. Of course, a small number of kinds of pulses means that the minimum pulse width is large.
FIG. 3 shows an example. FIG. 3 (A) and (B) are essentially identical to each other except that the pulse order is altered. In the example of FIG. 3, xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d can be represented by a pulse whose height is 1 and whose width is 1 (minimum pulse). xe2x80x9c2xe2x80x9d can be represented by a pulse whose height is 1 and whose width is 2. xe2x80x9c4xe2x80x9d can be represented by a pulse whose height is 1 and whose width is 4. xe2x80x9c8xe2x80x9d can be represented by a pulse whose height is 1 and whose width is 8. xe2x80x9c16xe2x80x9d can be represented by a pulse whose height is 2 and whose width is 8. xe2x80x9c32xe2x80x9d can be represented by a pulse whose height is 4 and whose width is 8. These pulses can be represented by combination of pulses having another pulse height and pulse width. As shown in the FIG. 3, all numbers from xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c60xe2x80x9d can be represented by a combination of these pulses. It is apparent from this figure that the minimum pulse width becomes longer than that of the conventional system. In the example of FIG. 3, the minimum pulse width is four times of that of FIG. 2. That is, increase of power consumption due to a high-speed operation and a load imposed on the device can be remarkably reduced.
For example, dividing the pulse height into five steps (levels) of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and using three kinds of pulses having pulse widths of 1, 2, 4, the maximum number which can be represented by the above pulses is xe2x80x9c28xe2x80x9d, which is obtained by adding a pulse whose width is 1 and whose height is 4, a pulse whose width is 2 and whose height is 4 and a pulse whose width is 4 and whose height is 4, and all numbers from xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c28xe2x80x9d can be represented by combination of these three pulses.
Assuming a number to be represented as xe2x80x9cNxe2x80x9d, this problem is a problem to find out combinations of figures, (KLM) where
N=1xc3x97K+2xc3x97L+4xc3x97M
(where K, L, M represents any one of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4)
Solutions of this problem are shown in Table 1.
When this problem is generalized, this problem turns out to be a proof of the following theorem;
Theorem in an equation;
N=n0+2n1+22n2+ . . . +2knk(n0, n1, n2, . . . , nk0, 1, 2, . . . , I),xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
N may be (can represent) any integer below the following maximum value;
Nmax=(1+2+22+ . . . +2k)Ixe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2).
An example shown in Table 1 corresponds to a case of this theorem where k=2 and I=4, and an example shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to a part of a case where k=3 and I=4. In cases where k=4 and I=4 (125 gradations) and where k=5 and I=4 (253 gradations), however, trueness of this theorem is unknown. The trueness of the theorem is unclear for a higher-gradation displaying operation. Therefore, the proof therefor is required.
This proof will be made as follows. First of all, considering the theorem as described above for I=1, the theorem is proved to be true. Namely,
By the following equation:
N=n0+2n1+22n2+ . . . +2knk(n0, n1, n2, . . . , nk 0, 1)
where k is an arbitrary positive integer, all from 0 to (1+2+22+ . . . +2k) can be represented (sub theorem 1). Since the proof for this theorem is very easy, it is omitted here.
Next, the theorem is assumed to be true for I=i (i represents an arbitrary positive integer)(assumption 1). Under the above assumption, it is examined whether the theorem is true or not for I=i+1.
The maximum value of N for I=i is represented by Nmax (represented by the equation (2)), and the maximum value of N for I=i+1 is represented by Nxe2x80x2max.
Nxe2x80x2max=(1+2+22+ . . . +2k)(i+1)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(3).
Now, it is true that all integers from 0 to Nmax can be represented by the following series:
N=n0+2n1+22n2+ . . . +2knk(n0, n1, n2, . . . , nk0, 1, 2 , . . . , i, i+1)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(4).
Because, from the assumption 1, it supposed to be true that all integers from 0 to Nmax can be represented by the series (4) which uses only number of n0, n1, n2, . . . , nk 0, 1, 2 . . . , i (i+1 is not used).
Next, it will be examined whether any integer from Nmax+1 to Nxe2x80x2max can be represented or not. An arbitrary integer Nxe2x80x2 contained in this region is represented by
Nxe2x80x2=Nmax+m=(1+2+22+ . . . +2k)i+mxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(5).
Where m represents a figure from 1 to (1+2+22+ . . . +2k), and by the sub theorem 1 as mentioned above, m is represented by;
equation m=10+211+2212+ . . . +2k1k(10, 11, 12, . . . , 1k0, 1).
Thus, the equation (5) is;
Nxe2x80x2=(1+2+22+ . . . +2k)i+10+211+2212+ . . . +2k1k(10, 11, 12, . . . , 1k0, 1)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(5)xe2x80x2.
A polynomial equation (5)xe2x80x2 is transformed to the second power series:
i Nxe2x80x2=n0+2n1+22n2+ . . . +2knk(n0, n1, n2, . . . , nki, i+1)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(6).
Thus, it is proved that this theorem is also true for I=i+1. Therefore, by the mathematical inductive method, it is proved that the theorem as mentioned above is true for an arbitrary positive integer k and I.
As described above, greatly multiple steps of average voltages can be represented by combinations of pulses whose width and height are different from one another. In this invention, a pulse voltage must be set to plural values above 2 steps (levels), for example, 5 steps (levels). However, setting a threshold voltage of liquid crystal to 5V, these levels are set to 0V, 1.25V, 2.5V, 3.75V and 5V, and using these voltage levels, 61-step gradation displaying operation can be achieved in the case as shown in FIG. 3. On the other hand, in the conventional system as shown in FIG. 1(A) where a voltage must be minutely divided (sectioned), in order to achieve the 61-step gradation displaying operation, an input voltage must be stepwisely divided by 80 mV and this is impossible to be carried out. The above is an essential part of this invention, and actually, a signal input to each display device is more complicated.